Montego Bay

This used to be my go to spot for food. The old management was cool and the food way better. Ever since they changed management and did upgrades prices went up and quality of food went down. They tend to mess up your orders If you don’t check it you will get home and be upset. Also the spicing is a bit off. I have been coming here for a long time and mainly because I tend to be a very loyal patron, however, it’s time to find a new spot soon

Nice quick service! They area is a little hood at times, but the food is official! and they give you a great amount of it for a decent price!

hidden gem! i ordered the curry chicken — it was SO good and had just the right amount of spice! they give you a lot of food and for the right price. i had a slice of carrot cake too. it was super moist and not overly sweet — tasted great! i will definitely go back to try other dishes.

OMG where can I start been going here for about a month and a half now and every time I’ve been in there is always a great experience. The staff was very friendly and the food is great chicken soup is great the baked goods is so good expecially the Coco bread and their rum cake Jamaican rum cake… I also had their seafood there fish is pretty amazing and there curry shrimp is to die for. Go check it out enjoy it.

Had the King Fish was not impressed at all. Should have known there was trouble in paradise when I placed my order and saw them take the fish from under the heat lamps in a case. When I receive my order it’s basically that same fish with sauce slathered over top. The sauce was flavorful however the fish was incredibly dry and Luke warm at best. Ate it because I was hungry but overall disappointed. Went against my first choice on a recommendation of a friend. They may have other items which are better but this dish was not

Wow. I came here after being recommended this place by the MVA, and I’m so glad I did! Service is great, and the jerk chicken is moist, tender, and full of flavor. They even let me try different dishes — and all I tried (jerk chicken, oxtail, goat, chicken curry) exploded with flavor! It was a bit on the salty side– but with curry, you want it to pack flavor to help tide over the rice (which honestly was delicious by itself)
Update: I decreased my ranking to 4 stars. The thing is, it was really tasty — but I was really hungry. A hallmark of a grest restaurant is one that draws you back. Since I havent been back in 9 months, I have to decrease this review.

The curry chicken and goat were delicious. No rave review, but no complaints either.

I decided to go to this place to try a different place than where I usually go. Needless to say it was one of the biggest food mistakes I have ever made. I ordered the oxtail with red peas and rice and veggies. The food was tasteless and so bland… maybe I’m saying the same thing in 2 different words. The portion size and the appearance gets you excited about getting ready to eat… your saliva glands start to working and then BOOM… fork meets mouth and your entire facial expression and attitude changes. I can say without a doubt this was the worst Jamaican food I have ever had. I then decided to taste my beef patty… ugh the beef was pureed too much and not even worth the 2^nd upset of the afternoon. So after that disappointment, I decided to open my Ginger Beer and dang… disappointment #3…it tasted sweet and cheap. The taste of ginger was very faint. I was expecting the same flavor as the ginger beer I got at the Unilocal party… NOT! So let’s see, I wasted my money, my gas, and my time… and I was still hungry! Now, the only positive thing I can say was the guy at the register was friendly. So without a shadow of a doubt, I will not be returning here.

Montego Bay?
No beach. No calm crystal clear ocean. No kids hawking beads every 10^th step I strolled. This is Northwest Baltimore’s Arlington/​Pimlico area. What’s here are fond memories of my youth spent at Grandma’s on Denmore Av. And some mighty fine Caribbean cuisine.
The Curry Goat ($ 8.50) was inspired with an abundance of mouthwatering meat strutting on a sea of rice, green peas & kidney beans, kernels of corn, and sauteed carrots. The goat was seasoned righteously tingly to the tongue & spicy. It’s plantains weren’t chopped into barely detectable bits as I’ve seen too often, but halved and flavorful.
The tasty Codfish Fritter ($ 2.00) was huge. Much breading. But the tender codfish center was worth probing for.
My Coconut Cookies ($ 1.50) from their bakery side added the perfect sweet to offset my spicy goat entrée. Nothing but flaky coconut and sticky tweaks of sweetness sans sugary overkill.
Someone in the kitchen cares about their reputation. It showed in the flavor of the fare. Combine the various Jamaican sodas, drinks, and decadent fresh-​baked goods offered, I was easily a fan especially after my first fiery gorging of goat.
They brag about being «Best in West Indian Cuisine». From my recent forays into area Caribbean food, I’ve found no reason to dispute that boast.
Dirty gutters. Weeds poked through weathered and cracked concrete curbs. Kids playfully darting in & out of traffic as they spill out of nearby Arlington Elementary. Nearby Pimlico Racetrack. And some mighty fine Caribbean cuisine.
Yo, Montego Bay. Wassup?
Wessside!

Coco bread was soft, smooth and fragrant. Jamaican beef patty was flaky and beef filling was good although it was overpureed. Would’ve been nice to have some shredded beef texture too.
Don’t come here at night, it’s not in the safest neighborhood. I’ll come back for the entrée items another time. Jamaican favorites including jerk chicken and oxtails. The seasoned steamed shrimp in the display case looked tempting too.

Jamaica is a paradox. It relies on the tourists for most of their income. The resorts are fabulous… many all inclusive which means food and alcohol is included in the fixed price… the resorts are great… and some are even clothes optional. The paradox is the most of the residents are the absolute poverty level… many with 0 income. Eating as a tourist in Jamaica puts you in a 4 to 5 star restaurant… beautiful but sterile. Unfortunately the real authentic Jamaican home cooking lies buried deep in the dirt streets of they communities… usually off limits to tourists.
Small diversion of an interesting Jamaican experience. I was an one of those all inclusive resorts with my family. and included was a Jamaican fishing trip. I took it with my daughter and had visions of a big power boat looking for swordfish or javelin… wrestling with the fish for hours and coming home with a trophy. uhhh… We boarded this small wooden boat with a 10 hp motor that was on its last legs… and we putttered out of the dock. and around the island we went. I noticed there was not a fishing pole in the boat. I was about to tell the guy turn around and I’ll get a charter boat to fish… but as we puttered around the coastline… I noticed villages on the shores and cliffs… and asked him questions about them. It turns out that is where most of the Jamaican population lives. I asked him if there were good places to eat there and he said yes… in peoples homes. I asked how I can go there and take some pictures and look around… and he said… there are no roads there… you either walk several miles through the jungle or take a boat like we were to get there.
Suddenly he yelled out to a fellow fisherman on the water in Jamaican… and before I knew it .that fisherman threw a fish over to our boat. Our «captain» took the fish and cut it up in small pieces. He put a piece on a hook on a line… no rod… and threw it overboard. We started talking and soon we got a fish. He took that fish, cut it in half. hooked it. and threw it overboard. We repeated this over the course of the afternoon and soon got a fish about a foot long. This is how some Jamaicans fish in the villages. Needless to say… I forgot about fishing… and had the best teacher in the world next to me and my daughter… teaching us about Jamaica, their culture… their way of life. The boat ride at 5 knots was as beautiful as one can get. Open wooden boat with no cover… and the entire Jamaican coast before me. This was a side of Jamaica very very few tourists see.
Fast forward to Monetgo Bay. Nestled in the northwest regions of Baltimore city, is a building that looks like it could be boarded up the next day to make room for a new freeway. And like Jamaica, this Jamaican restaurant is in a very poor side of town. So unless you know this area or grew up in an area like this… I would strongly recommend to my friends to go here for lunch or a very early dinner… before it got dark… and preferably… order take out.
But the food is fabulous. This is both a take out and sit down restaurant. Ras Doobie de Chef has moved his digs from Orioles Stadium to Pimlico Racetrack. I had the honor of meeting him in person even though his English is very broken.
I ordered take out… Jerk Chicken dark, Jerk Chicken white, oxtail, and goat shank dinners, 2 beef patties, 1 vegetable patty, extra pepper and jerk sauce, and a bag of plaintain chips… all for about $ 55. I fed 5 people with this food but I could have easily fed 7.
The jerk chicken was spiced perfectly… like I remembered in Jamaica. Because of the nature of this business, the food was prepared ahead of time. and the chicken was on the dry side… still good though.
The oxtails were done superbly… stewed in a Jamaican jerk style sauce… different than the chicken but close in the spices. The tails were tender but could have been stewed a couple more hours so the cartiledge could fall off the bone. Oxtails are very popular in Carribbean homes… Havana Mania, a Cuban restaurant in Redondo Beach, CA, serves oxtails and it is my favorite there.
The goat shank was sawed into small pieces… braised and stewed in a curry sauce… WOW… that was great. The bones are sawed so you can suck out the bone marrow. Bone marrow stewed in curry sauce is an exceptional treat. Goat meat has a distinctive taste… and the taste was not disguised with this sauce.
The beef and vegetable patties were good but not exceptional.
Overall.worth the trip for getting take out. Order the stewed style dishes. They can be reheated and taste just as good as in the restaurant.
Ohhhh …if you happen to visit Jamaica and are offered a deep sea fishing excursion… tell the tour guide to screw it. Have him find a local fisherman with an open wooden boat. and small gas motor… and have an experience of a lifetime.